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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. cold — an illness
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. cue — a hint
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. stock — goods
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. dip — to sink
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ball — a great time
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a dance
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. stock — shares
  23. game — a match
  24. cold — the Cold War

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com